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-East offers a variety of after school organizations
by Clint Diehl and Matt O'Brien
O&B Co-Editors
Joining a club or organization is a great way to stay active in school. East offers a variety of clubs aimed at attracting people with a variety of interests.
In the past, East has seen such clubs as TATU, green people, the international club, model UN, and peer mediation come and go. Recently, these organizations have been replaced with new clubs to allow students to take part in numerous extra-circular activities.
Art Club
The art club is a relatively new group which lets students participate in a number of cultural and artistic activities.
Currently, members are working to create the backdrop for the Prom, which will feature a silhouette of East High with Christmas lights. Members also plan to attend the Festival of Nations in May.
"They’ll get the whole cultural experience of food, costume, jewelry, and more," commented art instructor Bette Mitchell.
In the past, members have decorated windows at Happy Joe’s, traveled to Chicago and attended a trip to the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis with theatre and English students.
DUKES
"DUKES is an organization with an academic focus that strives to create leaders for the school," said Tony Dehl, co-group sponsor.
In the past, members have purchased thanksgiving baskets for needy families, adopted a family at Christmas time, and made over 50 baskets at Easter time for a local daycare center.
DUKES also conduct various fundraisers that allow other people and students to become involved as well. Such activities that DUKES have taken part in include organizing an annual basketball tournament and dances. Proceeds from the events are used to help various community organizations that the DUKES support.
FCA
After a two-year absence from East, Fellowship of Christian Athletes is back and hopefully here to stay. Allowing students to come together and have a great time while focusing on Christ is the goal of the organization.
"FCA is a fun and exciting club that I hope other students will participate in the next coming years," said co-president senior Nick Norman.
Norman, along with junior co-president Stacey Lucas, lead the newly revived program. Melissa Hickok ‘01 and Courtney Collins ’00 round out the remaining officers.
"So far, we have had some really fun parties and we hope to have an end of the year field trip to an amusement park," added Norman.
French Club
Members of the French Club obtain a more in-depth knowledge of the culture and language of the French. French is the only foreign language at East that also has its own club.
Heading the group this year is senior president Jason Parks and vice president Joy Stuber ’01.
"We meet once a month and do various activities related to French," commented Stuber. "We had a Christmas party that allowed us to try many different French hors d'oeuvres."
The club also plans to organize a major trip to Quebec in the near future.
Health Occupation
The health occupations club travels to Allen Hospital once a month to tour a different department.
The group, which involves 10-15 students from grades 10-12, also participates in the Allen College Health Fair held every May.
NHS
The Olympiad Chapter of the National Honor Society aims to maintain an equal balance of community service, educational events and enjoyable activities.
"NHS is cool," commented Shante Humes. I really enjoy the service projects "
The National Honor Society has answered children’s letters to Santa, adopted a needy family, organized a walk for cystic fibrosis and made Christmas cards for staff members. They have also toured area colleges and had pizza parties.
Future plans include attending a play at UNI and visiting middle schools to discuss all of the opportunities available at the high school level.
Speech
The speech team has traveled to four tournaments thus far this year. Membership has included some Bosnian students, which have been a nice addition to the team.
"We are a young team and have had a lot of good experiences," said advisor Tony Dehl.
The team also hosted the district speech competition, which involved hundreds of area students.
Student Senate
The Student Senate of East High allows students to take part in various decisions made throughout the school. Under student body president Timina McDonald, student senate also has officers-elect for each of the different class levels. Kate Clark heads the senior division.
"Student Senate is an organization aimed at getting kids involved in school and allowing them to make decisions that affect the entire student body," said sponsor Joanna Rahnavardi.
Activities sponsored by the student senate include the organization of dances such as Homecoming, daily announcements recognizing the importance of Black History Month during February, and Diversity Week later this spring.
Theatre
Under the direction of Cory Losenicky, the drama club is in its third successful year at East.
"I love drama," said Alla Lonyuk (12). "It’s a great way to express yourself."
This year, the drama club worked with a full set for their fall production of "Cry of the Banshee". Plans are being made for "Studio 2000", which will be held in the student center.
By becoming a part of these organizations, students can find themselves in leadership roles to plan dances, field trips, and give back to the community through various volunteerism efforts.

Updated 2/20/00 by Mike Bowser